


When Life Hands You an Arc Reactor and a Shield

by AngelWithAStory



Series: Marvel Dad!AU [1]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Fluff, M/M, make-shift family, meet the super family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-01-05 19:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What are we doing, Steve? We can’t do this. I mean, we can’t look after a kid! We’re not ready to be parents!”</p><p>AU where the Super Skrull came for Teddy 5 years earlier and Steve and Tony take a massive step forward in their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I love the idea of Steve and Tony taking Teddy in and I couldn't resist (especially not since I have more than enough time on my hands these days.)
> 
> I apologise in advance for any timeline mistakes.

“What are we _doing_ , Steve?” Tony asked, dressed in a simple combination of a plain shirt and black tracksuit bottoms. He sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. Steve looked at him, still in his Captain America suit from the battle. He had a smear of ash across his cheek. 

“Steve, we can’t do this. I mean, we can’t look after a kid! We’re not ready to be parents!” Tony continued, visibly panicking. 

“Tony,” Steve began, using the voice he usually saved to pacify politicians/distressed citizens. Tony’s gaze snapped up to him and he let out a long breath. 

“I’m just terrified.” Tony admitted in a whisper. Steve smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Tony, pulling him into a comforting hug. 

“I know you are. But we’re going to be great dads to that little boy.” Steve reassured him. Tony rested his forehead on Steve’s, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. 

“I just don’t want to end up being like my dad.” Tony murmured. 

“You won’t, Tony.” Steve promised, holding Tony tighter. “You won’t.” 

 

“Well, Teddy, welcome to the Avengers Tower.” Tony stated, opening the front doors. Steve smiled down at the eleven year old and picked up one of the suitcases beside Teddy with ease. 

Teddy glanced at the building and then at the two men standing either side of him. 

Steve picked up on the nervous glances and crouched down next to Teddy so they were eye-level. 

“Teddy, I know this is going to be weird at first with you moving into Avengers Tower, and I know that it’s going to be hard coping with...everything that happened, but we’re going to do everything possible to help you adjust. We want you to feel at home here with us and be happy.” Steve said, gently avoiding what happened to Teddy’s ‘ _mother_ ’ a few days ago. He held eye contact with Teddy so Teddy knew Steve was being totally genuine. 

“That’s right, Ted.” Tony chipped in, crouching down as well, taking Steve’s lead. “We’re all here for you. Even Jarvis.” 

“So,” Steve said, standing up fully and picking up the suitcase. “Do you want to see your room?” He asked, his smiled back on his face again. Teddy nodded shyly, hoisting his backpack higher on his back. 

Tony clapped him on the shoulder comfortingly and began guiding the three of them in. 

 

“Do you really think we can do this?”

Tony asked, pulling back the bed sheets later that night. 

“I think Teddy needs some time to get used to everything that happened.” Steve replied simply, walking out of the _en suite_ bathroom into the bedroom. 

“What about Teddy’s parentage? He’s half-Kree, half-Skrull. _He can shape-shift_. What if he wants to join the Avengers when he’s older?” Tony asked, starting to get himself worked up again. Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Mr Parties-and-Nonchalance could panic over the smallest domestic problems. 

Saving the world/dimension on a regular basis? Easy. 

Adopting a child?

“We’ll cross that bridge if or when we come to it. For all we know, Teddy might not want to be a superhero at all.” Steve said, sliding into the double bed they shared. 

“I guess...” Tony admitted, joining Steve under the sheets. Steve raised an eyebrow at him. 

“We’ll be fine, Tony. You know that. The three of us will be fine.” Steve reassured him, reaching over and grasping his hand. 

“I know.” Tony agreed, leaning over to give Steve a kiss. 


	2. 5 Years On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Christmas update for everyone :))

 

_5 years later..._

 

"Teddy Altman, you better be getting up!" Steve called, rapping his knuckles on the door sharply. "You're going to be late." 

A grumble sounded through the door and Steve smiled to himself. He opened the door sharply. 

Amongst the tangled up sheets, a blonde head reared and turned to face him. 

"'M up." Teddy murmured, twisting around onto his back. 

"Well, when you're dressed, Jarvis is making pancakes." Steve said, closing the door behind him and walking down to the kitchen. 

Teddy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He swung his legs off the bed, walking into his bathroom. 

His blonde hair was ruffled from an uneasy night's sleep but it didn't take long to sort out. 

Teddy quickly threw on his jeans and a Lord of the Rings t-shirt his dads had gotten him not so long ago. 

He walked into the kitchen to the enticing smell of pancakes. 

"Morning Jarvis." Teddy greeted, sliding onto a stool by the breakfast counter. 

"Good morning, Master Teddy." Jarvis replied, sliding a plate of pancakes to him. Steve was leaning against the counter, a bowl of cereal in his hands and a drink of fruit juice beside him. Tony was sat further down, scanning a newspaper and steadily sipping a mug of coffee. 

"Morning Ted." Tony said, looking at him over the top of his newspaper. 

"Morning. You got a meeting today, Dad?" Teddy asked, noting the crisp suit. 

"Two and then an interview afterwards." A new voice chimed in. Teddy swivelled around on his stool to see a red-headed woman in a sharp suit walk in. 

"Hey Pepper." Teddy greeted, smiling brightly at her. 

"Hey Teddy." Pepper replied, returning the smile. "How's school going?" She asked. 

"Good." Teddy said. "Oh! I forgot; I'm picking up Billy on the way to school." He said, shovelling down the last of his pancake. 

"How is everything between you and Billy?" Steve asked, setting his bowl down. 

"Everything's great." Teddy replied vaguely, avoiding their gaze. Tony exchanged a knowing glance at Steve, who smirked in return. Even Pepper raised her eyebrows. 

"Do you know what time you're going to be home?" Steve continued, dropping the subject (much to Teddy's relief). 

"Erm, I've got practice and then I said I'd meet up with some friends." Teddy said, grabbing his shoes from the shoe rack beside the door. 

"Well, how about we say be back by eleven since you have school tomorrow?" Steve suggested, taking a sip of his juice. 

"Ten at the absolute latest. Any later and we'll send a search party." Tony chipped in, frowning disapprovingly. 

"Ten. Got it." Teddy repeated, grabbing his school bag. "I'll see you tonight." He said. 

"Take a jacket!" Steve called out. Teddy ran into the front room to collect his jacket. 

"Hey Pete." Teddy said, not surprised to see the two figures sat on the sofa. 

"Hey Teddy. Off to school? This early?" Peter replied. 

"Yeah. I'm picking up a friend on the way." Teddy explained, grabbing his jacket and throwing it on. 

"Well, have fun." Peter offered. Teddy smiled and headed into the elevator.  He pressed the down button and headed towards Billy's house. 

 

"Hey Bill." Teddy smiled, leaning against the door frame of the Kaplan household. 

"Hey Teddy. Thanks for picking me up." Billy replied, calling something to his parents and hoisting his bag over his shoulder. 

"It's no problem." Teddy admitted, walking down the street next to Billy.  "If anything I'm glad to be out the apartment early." 

"Why? I thought you liked your adoptive parents." Billy asked, giving him a sideways glance. 

"Oh, I love my dads. It's just hectic, you know." Teddy backtracked. He hadn't gotten around to telling Billy who his parents actually  _were_. Knowing how much of a ultra-fanboy Billy was, he'd probably pass out from learning his boyfriend was the adopted son of Captain America and Iron Man. 

"I know the feeling." Billy sympathised. 

"Yeah, well." Teddy shrugged, turning a corner. "We still on for meeting Eli and Nate after school?" He asked, feeling the familiar lump of guilt in his chest that came with anything to do with their little make-shift superhero group. He felt like he was betraying his dads. 

"Yeah, I think so." Billy confirmed. 

 

"Well, I think that went pretty well." Billy stated, rubbing the worst of the ash and soot off his face. 

"We got everyone out the building." Eli said. 

"Well, that's a victory in my book." Teddy stated, shrinking back down to size and shifting back to normal. "Oh shit, what time is it?" He exclaimed. 

"Nine-fourty-five. Why?" Billy replied. 

"I have exactly fifteen minutes to get home." Teddy said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He called out, running out of the park. 

He reached the entrance to Avengers Tower at exactly 30 seconds past 10. 

Teddy breathed out slowly, pressing the button for home. He stepped out into the hallway and froze, sensing someone else. 

He turned his head and relaxed when his gaze landed on his parent. 

"Have fun?" Steve asked, watching Teddy shrug his jacket off. 

"Yeah. It was a lot of fun hanging out." Teddy replied, smiling for added measure. 

"That's good to hear." Steve admitted, ruffling Teddy's hair fondly. "Go on, get some sleep." He said, patting Teddy's shoulder. 

"Night, Dad." Teddy bid, disappearing into his room. 

"Night, son." Steve replied, walking back to his own room.


	3. Let's Paint the Town...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter upload because it's the New Year and 2013 has been really hectic but pretty damn awesome and I've grown a lot as a person so to everyone, I hope you've had a good year and that 2014 is even better!

The kitchen was quiet when Teddy walked in. Jarvis was nowhere to be seen and even the radio was turned off. Teddy knew something was up the second he walked in.

"Hey Dads." Teddy said in a small voice, walking over to the fridge to get a drink.

"Ted." The single word made every muscle in Teddy's body tense. He slowly turned around but kept his gaze on the floor. "We need to talk to you." Tony said neutrally.

"Do you know anything about this article?" Steve asked gently, pushing the newspaper across the table to him. Teddy glanced at the headline and his mouth went dry.

A picture of the fire from last night hit him like a punch in the face.

Teddy could barely comprehend the headline, never mind the actual article.

He shook his head.

"Ted. This article was printed this morning. It mentions four teenagers who modelled themselves after former Avengers. Two of them being us." Tony stated, as if he was in a business meeting. "We're most interested in the one modelled after Banner, or more accurately, the Hulk."

"Teddy," Steve began softly. Teddy clenched his fists to steady his nerves.

"I'm going to be late for school." Teddy managed to get out, never making eye contact with either man.

"Okay. We'll talk about this later, Teddy. We'll see you after school." Steve said gently. Teddy nearly slammed the front door.

Tony sighed and rubbed his temples.

"That can't be him, can it?" He asked, leaning back into Steve's arms.

"We'll talk about it later. Now, I think we should talk to Jessica Jones. She's at the Bugle. Maybe she knows something." Steve suggested.

"I guess." Tony agreed reluctantly.

 

"So the kids aren't yours?" Jessica asked, perched on the low wall. Steve shot Tony a look.

"No." Tony replied shortly.

"Did you guys notice the Bucky thing too?" She inquired.

"Yeah. I'm sure these kids mean well...but I will not allow another child to get hurt - or worse- trying to follow my example." Steve stated, not meeting her eye.

"Cap, you're not responsible for this-" Jessica began.

"Yes I am. I was then and I am now. At least, I'm trying to be." Steve admitted. "That's why we have to shut these kids down."


	4. ...We'll Shut It Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2 of the New Years updates :)

"What was that?" Jessica demanded, feeling the tremor subside.

"An earthquake?" Iron Man suggested.

"On the upper east side?" Jessica added, a note of disbelief in her voice.

"It's him. It's Kang..." Nate muttered to himself. The four of them ran out the door onto the grounds, with Iron Man in front.

"Oh my God..." Jess breathed, stopping in her tracks.

"Is that?" Iron Man began, glancing at Steve.

"Cassie!" Cap confirmed, picking up speed.

"Is she okay?" Patriot asked. Asguardian was hovering over her, electricity cracking into the air. Hulkling was holding her hand off the ground, checking for a pulse. He glanced over his shoulder and shrank back slightly when he saw the new arrivals.

"Does she look okay to you?" A girl in an expensive-looking dress quipped. "Cassie, honey? Wake up." She said gently, touching Cassie's cheek gingerly.

"What happened?" Captain America demanded, crouching beside Cassie's head.

"You-you're-" The girl stammered.

"What happened to Cassie?" Cap repeated.

"She got upset. She started growing and then kind of...passed out." The girl admitted, shrinking back into herself a bit.

"What upset her?" Iron Man asked.

"Um, we did." Hulkling spoke up, his shoulders slightly hunched. "She wanted us to let her into the mansion so she could get her dad's costume." He avoided meeting Iron Man's eye.

"Cassie? It's Cap. Can you hear me?" Captain America asked.

"Cap?" Cassie murmured, opening her eyes slowly. "Why are you so tiny?" She asked, drawing a laugh out of Cap.

 

"My clothes-" Cassie muttered, holding the torn rags with one hand and holding her head with the other.

"Come on, let's get you inside." Cap said gently, guiding her.

"Okay, I'm gonna take off then." Patriot said.

"You're not going anywhere." Iron Man stated, folding his arms over his chest.

"Iron Man, why don't you take Cassie up to her dad's room? See if there are some old clothes for her?" Cap suggested.

"You can come with, Teen-Hulk." Iron Man said, looking at Hulkling.

"His name's Hulkling." Patriot corrected.

"Okay, _Hulkling_ , let's go." Iron Man said, stressing the word. Hulkling swallowed thickly but followed quickly, his gaze on the ground.

 

"Here's your dad's old room," Iron Man said, stepping aside to let Cassie through. "We'll be just here while you get changed." He said.

"Okay. Thanks, Iron Man." Cassie said, beginning to rifle through the boxes.

Hulkling shuffled his feet, pulling at the material around his wrists.

"Can I have a word, _Hulkling_?" Iron Man asked in a way that sounded more like a command than a request.

"I-" Hulkling began, still not meeting his eye.

"I don't care for excuses." Iron Man cut across him. "I just want to know why, Teddy."

"Dad, I'm sorry." Teddy admitted, shrinking back to his normal size.

"You _know_ how we feel about teenage heroes." Tony stated. "Do you remember what happened to Bucky?" He asked, feeling his anger start to rise to the surface.

"I'm not Bucky though, dad!" Teddy almost shouted. "I actually have powers. I can handle it. And I have a team."

" _Please_ tell me you weren't the one who brought the group together." Tony said, resisting the urge to take his helmet off and pinch his nose.

"No. Iron Lad brought us together. Something to do with the Avengers Failsafe Program." Teddy admitted.

"Ted-" Iron Man began.

"Iron Man?" Cassie asked, looking at them curiously. "Do you know where my dad's helmet is?" She asked.

"We'll talk about this later." Tony hissed, narrowing his eyes behind his helmet. He turned back to face Cassie and Teddy threw his head back, running his hands through his hair.

 

"C'mon, let's get you kids home." Cap said, thankful that everything had repaired itself. He couldn't help but look towards Teddy and be grateful.    


"And then what?" Eli demanded. "You still want to ' _train_ ' us? Or were you just saying that so we wouldn't use our powers to stop you calling our parents?" His voice was harsh and angry.   


"Because we could, you know." Billy said, electricity arcing from his open palm.   


Cap looked at Iron Man and Jess, silently making a decision.   


"Follow us." Iron Man said, leading the group to the next room. A table and a few chairs were still intact and they filed around it. Cap gave up his chair to Jess and let most of the kids sit opposite them.   


"In my opinion," Cap began, "you kids have more than proven yourself heroes tonight."   


"But..." Eli said, drawing the word out.   


"But..." Cap mimicked. "If you _ever_ put those uniforms on again, Iron Man and I will do _everything_ in our power to shut you down for good." He added, pointing at them for added effect.   


"But we could help you. You could train us." Cassie said quietly.   


"We can't." Iron Man said simply, still inspecting the Vision "Not without your parent's consent. But if you want to ask your parents..." He trailed off, casting a glance at the five kids.   


"Um..." Cassie was the first to speak up, watching the ground. "That's okay. I should probably get home."  


"Me, too." Billy agreed, pulling his headband back on.   


"You mind flying me?" Teddy asked.   


"Anybody else need a lift? Cassie?" Billy inquired.   


"Hang on, we'll get you home, Hulkling." Cap spoke up, beckoning him over. Teddy looked at the group, before walking over to the man's side. Billy and Eli exchanged a quizzical look.   


Teddy watched them and gave them a look that said ' _I promise I'll explain later_ '.    


"Before you go, I need you to leave your gear with us." Cap said. "The bow, the shield, the throwing stars-"  


"But those are mine." Eli protested.   


"Not any more." Cap said, taking the metal weapon off him.   


"C'mon guys. Let's get out of here." Billy said, walking up to the large statue.   


"We're doing the right thing. Aren't we?" Cap said, looking at the other adult's faces as they watched the teens walk away solemnly.   


A tense silence engulfed them as they waited for the teens to leave safely.   


"Now, I think we should get you home, Teddy." Tony said, turning to him. Teddy shifted back completely. He hung his head, studying the ground intensely.   



	5. Back Safe and Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I haven't updated in forever, so here's the next bit :)

The lift stopped at their apartment and Teddy hung back, letting Tony and Steve exit first.   


"I think we need to clear the air right now." Steve suggested. Teddy suddenly threw his arms around the two men, holding them close.   


" _I'msosorry_." Terry muttered rapidly, his voice muffled by costume material. "None of us meant for any of that to happen and I'm just _so_ glad you're both okay." He could help the few tears that spilt down his cheeks.   


"Hey, Teddy. It's okay. We're all okay now." Steve said reassuringly, hugging Teddy back tightly.   


"Yeah, Ted. It'll take more than a tear in the time stream to get rid of us." Tony joked, holding him comfortingly.   


"I know." Teddy muttered, drinking in the reality that he didn't just lose two sets of parents in less than just a couple years.   


Seeing them shot right in front of him just made someone crack. Usually he knew they could handle themselves when in uniform but today was different. Today was much more _surreal_.   


"Teddy," Steve began, holding Teddy at arms length. "You need to understand why we're doing this. We don't want _any_ of you to get hurt doing this. Today proves just how easy it is to get seriously hurt, or worse, when you wear a costume." He said softly.   


"I know." Teddy acknowledged, staring at the floor.   


"We know that you had good intentions but we're not going to let you be in harm's way." Tony said. "That also doesn't excuse you lying to us about where you were and going behind our backs." He added.   


"And we'll sort out your punishment in the morning." Steve interjected, looking at Tony.   


"Okay." Teddy agreed.   


"Go get some sleep. It's been a long night." Steve said kindly.   


"Okay. Night, dads." Teddy gave them one last hug before walking down the corridor and into his room.   


 

Teddy flopped onto his bed, not bothering to change and was almost asleep when his phone buzzed.   


He lifted his head and checked the screen. A text. A text from _Billy_.   


He quickly opened it and scanned the message.   


' _ **Hey, what was that about? What did Captain America want?**_ ' it read.   


Teddy chewed his lip for a second, trying to figure out what to type next.   


' _ **I'll tell you at school tomorrow. Promise.**_ ' he quickly sent the message before he could over-think it and fell back onto his bed. Sleep swallowed him whole within minutes. 

 


	6. Spill Your Heart Out to Your Brothers (and Sisters) in Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might make this the last chapter since I don't really know how I could finish this but I'm not sure :/

“So are you going to explain what happened last night?” Billy asked, stuffing his hands in his pocket. He sounded the tiniest bit hostile and Teddy found he couldn't meet his gaze. The park around them was empty, which was reassuring.

“You know how I'm adopted,” Teddy began, absently kicking a small rock with the toe of his shoes.

“Yeah,” Billy said.

“Well, officially, I was adopted by Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers a month after my ' _mother_ ' died five years ago. So, my dads are officially Iron Man and Captain America.” Teddy admitted, staring at the ground. 

“Seriously?” Billy said, after a few minutes of tense silence. “I mean, I knew they adopted but you never said by who...”

“I should have told you before but, Dad's really private about this. I mean, he's public about his superhero identity, but he kept me so shielded from the press ever since they took me in.” Teddy explained gently. 

“I get that,” Billy said, “I'm still just processing the fact that I'm going out with Captain America and Iron Man's adopted son.” He admitted, smiling at Terry, drawing a laugh out of him. 

“It took me a while to get used to it too.” Teddy admitted.

“So, is that why they took you home last night? To tell you off?” Billy asked. “Are they forcing you give it up?”

“I've been grounded by two months and Dad threatened to have me escorted every where by an Avenger.” Teddy admitted.

“Seriously?” 

“Oh yeah. Luckily, my pops talked him out of it.” Teddy said solemnly.

“So, is this it for Hulkling?” Billy asked. “Do you think this is it for all of us?” 

“I don't want it to be.” Teddy said, raking his hand through his hair. “But I really don't know, Billy.”

 

 

“If we want, we could still be Young Avengers.” Kate stated, smiling with hope. “Look, before you say anything, there's something you should see.” She said, leading them down the street.

 

“What's this meant to be?” Eli asked, looking around the abandoned publishing house.

“Our new base.” Kate replied, flicking the lights on.

“Are these...?” Billy trailed off, looking at a mobile metal clothes rack with different suits hung up.

“Yep. Our new costumes.” Cassie replied, pulling hers off the rack and displaying it proudly.

“This isn't a good idea.” Eli said, looking over them apprehensively.

“Come on, just try them on.” Kate urged, giving him the tried-and-tested puppy eyes.

“Wait,” Teddy spoke up, drawing all eyes to him. “There's something I have to tell you.”

“What is it, Teddy?” Kate asked, part-curiosity, part-confusion.

“I'm not a mutant. I'm an alien. Half-Kree and half-skrull.” Teddy started, drawing in a deep breath. Mild surprise flittered across the girls' faces but Teddy didn't pay it that much attention. “A couple years ago, the Super-Skrull came to find me and take me back to the Skrulls. He ended up killing the woman who I thought was my mother.”

“What?” Kate breathed, her eyes widening in shock.

“Yeah. Apparently, she was ordered to take me back to Earth and look after me. I couldn't stay on the Skrull home-world since my genetic father is Captain Marvel. Luckily, the Avengers managed to get me away and stop the Kree-Skrull war before it began.” Teddy continued.

“How old were you?” Eli asked, frowning slightly.

“Eleven.” Teddy replied.

“So what happened?” Cassie asked.

“Since the only guardian I had was killed, I spent a few days in a orphanage until I was taken in.” Teddy replied, stealing himself to say the next sentence. “By two Avengers.”

“What?!” Eli exclaimed, before he could stop himself.

“By who?” Kate demanded. “No wait! Please tell me it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that both Iron Man and Captain America pulled you aside when we fought Kang.”

“Yeah.” Teddy admitted. “I was adopted by Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.”

“So why did you join when Nate came to you if your adoptive parent's were already superheroes?” Eli asked, sounding almost suspicious.

“Because Steve still feels guilty about Bucky! Like he'd let his kid put on a mask and put himself in danger willingly!” Teddy replied.

“Why are you telling us this now?” Kate asked, crossing her arms over her chest in an almost challenging way.

“I just want you to know. Cap and Iron Man _are_ going to do everything in their power to stop us.” Teddy said.

“Yeah, but, what can they do really?” Eli asked.

“Exactly!” Cassie agreed. “They can tell our parents, but they can't stop us. Our parents probably won't believe them and even if they do, they can't watch us every second of the day.”

“And what can they do to you, Teddy?” Billy stepped in, “They've already grounded you, and Cassie's right; they can't watch you every second of the day.”

“They can get Avengers to watch me.” Teddy pointed out.

“Because no child of an important figure has ever tried to ditch their body guards?” Kate said, placing here hands on her hip. “Trust me, that _won't_ be an issue.”

“You said yourself that you don't want this to be over. We're a team. We'll help you.” Billy said gently.

“Just,” Cassie said quietly. “Just try the suit on. It was made especially.” She coaxed, holding out the outfit. 

“Okay. Yeah, I'll do it.” Teddy agreed, taking the costume from her happily.

 


	7. Bitter Rebellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONG(ish) CHAPTER BECAUSE I'M BACK BITCHES!
> 
> It's probably crap but I decided I wanted to continue this so HERE IT IS

“ _Jesus_ , Steve.” Tony hissed, seeing the newspaper that Steve shoved under his nose.

“We have to stop this. These kids are going to get hurt. We can't let that happen.” Steve said.

“We can't let our kid get hurt.” Tony agreed, pointing to the green-skinned, blond haired kid standing with his arms folded over his broad chest. There was something defiant in his stance which piqued Tony's interest. He knew that pose like he knew his own armour.

“Exactly, but if we have to dismantle them. We have to get them to _willingly_ give it up.” Steve said, leaning against the wall.

“How do we do that? Actually go to their parents?” Tony asked rhetorically, throwing Steve a smirk. His face fell when he saw the serious expression on Steve's. “I was kidding.”

“Well I'm not.” Steve replied, taking the newspaper back off Tony. Tony slumped into a chair, running his hands over his face.

“Why can't our teenage kid just do pot or something? Something more typical instead of being a _superhero._ ” Tony muttered.

“Tony.” Steve said sternly, obviously hearing everything.

“What? I'm mostly kidding.” Tony protested.

“Has Teddy already left?” Steve asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, he left to walk to school with Billy.” Tony said. Steve looked a little disgruntled by that. A small knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. Jessica poked her head around the door.

“Hey Jess.” Tony said, “I'm guessing Cap called you.”

“Yeah.” Jessica replied, going to stand beside him. “Something about the kids...”

“well first I wanted to see who this 'Vision' was, if he _is_ the Vision.” Steve said.

“He's the Vision alright, just not _our_ Vision.” Tony said, resting his hands on the table with the robotic being stretched out across.

 

 

“Well your parents are in a good mood.” Teddy said, standing at the door of Billy's house.

“Annoying, isn't it?” Billy said, looking at his mother out of the corner of his eye.

“Which means you haven't told them yet.” Teddy said quietly, making sure Rebecca was out of ear shot.

“And ruin a perfectly annoying good mood?” Billy replied, matching Teddy's volume.

“If _you_ don't, _my_ _dad_ will.” Teddy reminded him.

“Maybe he was bluffing.” Billy said, a small ounce of hope in his voice.

“Right. Because _that's_ how he defeated the Red Skull. By _bluffing_.” Teddy said sarcastically, leaning against the door on his shoulder.

“ _Because you'd know_.” Billy muttered before sighing, his shoulder slumping. He shut the door, letting Teddy step inside. “You're right. I _have_ to tell them.”

“They'll understand.” Teddy reassured him. “And if they _don't_ , you can always zap them with your magic powers and _make_ them understand. Then you can zap my dads.”

“They know?” Billy asked.

“I don't know, but-” Teddy began.

“Then how come I have to tell _my_ parents?” Billy half-demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at Teddy.

“Because your parent's don't have access to a team of superheroes.” Teddy said quietly.

“Tell us what?” Rebecca asked, standing alongside her husband, looking at the two boys.

“What is it, son?” Jeff asked earnestly.

“Um...” Billy said.

“Remember: you can zap them later.” Teddy hissed.

“Mum? Dad? There's something you should know.” Billy started, taking a breath. “It might be hard to deal with at first but-”

“Oh, It's okay, honey. We _know_. We've always known.” Rebecca reassured him, smiling at her son widely.

“ _I_ didn't. Your mother had to tell me.” Jeff admitted, mirroring the smile.

“And what you have to know is, we love you, and we're proud of you and we're just so happy you boys _found_ each other.” Rebecca said, pulling both the boys into an embrace. Billy hesitantly patted his mother on the back.

“Welcome to the family, Ted. Now how do you want those eggs?” Jeff asked, shaking Teddy's hand.

“Thank you Mr. Kaplan, but we should really be going.” Teddy said, putting on his winning smile.

“Are you sure? We've got plenty left.” Jeff said.

“Mum? We really should be going.” Billy said. Rebecca let go of them and beamed.

“Okay, okay, we understand. We'll see you tonight.” Rebecca said. Billy gathered up his bag and opened the door.

“See you later.” He said to his parents smiling at them. Teddy stepped out the door, quickly followed by Billy, who hut it and exhaled deeply.

“That went well.” Teddy said innocently, smirking at Billy.

“Shut up.” Billy groaned, walking away. Teddy caught up, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“At least you have one less thing to tell your parents.” Teddy said fairly, still smiling in a way that made Billy want to either kiss him or knock it off his face.

“Okay, so my parents know I'm gay but they don't know I'm secretly a superhero.” Billy said, slightly irritated.

“At least they were accepting.” Teddy pointed out.

“What? The Avengers _weren't_?” Billy asked.

“Well, it's not like my dads can really judge.” Teddy said. Billy shrugged, looking at the passing buildings.

“I'll tell them tonight. It's better they hear it from me than from Captain America.” Billy said, mostly to himself.

“And I keep saying, if they don't take it that well, yo can always zap them.” Teddy said. Billy knocked into him playfully, giving him a thankful little smile.

 

 

_Later..._

 

“Because I quit.” Eli walked out without another word. A stunned silence settled over the group. It was only broken by Steve turning to look at Teddy.

“Can I have a word with you, Teddy? Alone.” Steve asked, aware of the other 'Young Avengers' watching him.

“Whatever you have to say you can say in front of us.” Kate said immediately, coming to Teddy's defence.

“Kate,” Teddy said quietly, silently telling her it was okay.

“Okay,” Steve said, turning his attention away from Kate. "I cannot believe all of you deliberately went against what Tony and I-”

“Dad, they know.” Teddy said. Steve took a breath and his shoulders slumped slightly.

“Teddy, you're too young. All of you are.” He said

“What about P – Spiderman? Was he too young?” Teddy demanded, remembering to not out Peter as Spiderman.

“We're not talking about him, we're talking about you and your team. I do think Spiderman was too young and I'm disappointed in you.” Steve said sternly. “I would have thought you'd listen to us.”

“Technically, you said if we ever put on the _old_  costumes, you'd shut us down.” Kate pointed out.

“We noticed the new costumes.” Steve said, looking directly at Kate. “But as of right now, the Young Avengers are disbanded. I hope all of you will accept this and not put the costumes on again.” He added, looking at all of them.

“But-” Cassie began to protest.

“We can't let any more teenagers get hurt.” Steve cut over her. “Teddy, we're leaving.” He said, alking out the room.

Teddy didn't move, torn between protesting and not wanting to anger his father. Billy gently touched Teddy's arm, getting his attention. Teddy gave him and small smile and started following Steve.

“I'll see you guys later.” He said, trying to sound positive. He gave them a weak grin and tried not to think of his impending doom.

 


	8. Impending Doom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this stored away for a while but I haven't posted in a while so I figured it was better to have this up and then to just continue when I can than to wait :/

The lights from New York were always bright, and right now they were the only light entering the bedroom of Tony and Steve's adopted son.

Teddy hugged his knees. He messed up. He fucked up _so_ badly this time. At least that's how it felt.

He knew just how much his dads objected to teenage superheroes, so why did he become one? When Nate approached him, why did he accept? He knew why he was on the Avengers Failsafe, he knew that if he wanted to become a hero when he was an adult, he could (probably with his fathers' blessing).

Maybe it was because being a Young Avenger, made him feel like he _belonged_. Like he wasn't just some _freak;_ that he had some purpose _._

And he had people who didn't care if he was alien or mutant or _whatever_. The other Young Avengers were his friends, they were like his _family._ Being a Young Avenger was how he met Billy.

The voices outside his room had died down. Teddy knew he was going to be punished; something worse than just being grounded. Vaguely, he wondered which Avenger would be his personal baby-sitter for the next year. He hoped it was someone with a sense of humour who would take pity on him. Maybe Peter: he knew how protective Steve and Tony were.

His phone buzzed on the bedside table and he quickly checked the screen. Billy.

' _ **Teddy? You still breathing?**_ ' ****The message read. A minute smile flittered across Teddy's face.

' _ **Barely. They're still deciding my punishment**_ ' Teddy typed back. He placed his phone back down.

A small knock at the door nearly made him jump out his skin.

Tony opened the door fully, standing beside Steve. Teddy swallowed and rested his chin on his knees. Steve silently sat on the mattress, looking at Teddy impassively. Tony did the same, but he was looking a little bit more resolved.

“Teddy,” Tony said, clearing his throat. “Your other dad and I have talked and we have come to an agreement on your punishment.”

“In addition to being grounded for another month from the previous punishment, that means no extra-curricular activities, to and from school with no detours, you are also forbidden to see Billy for two weeks starting tomorrow.” Steve said. He must have seen the look on Teddy's face because his expression softened slightly.

“Ted, you went against us when we specifically said we didn't want any of you to still try and be heroes.” Tony said softly.

“It may seem harsh but you know how strongly we feel about this.” Steve said. Teddy nodded.

“It's okay. I understand.” Teddy mumbled. Steve reached forwards and pulled Teddy into a brief hug.

“Get some sleep. You have school tomorrow.” Steve said softly, standing up and leaving the room. Tony stood up as well but he stood by the bed. He reached down and kissed the top of Teddy's head, holding him close with one arm. Teddy quickly wrapped his arms around Tony, knowing that they were just as terrified of losing him as he was of losing them.

“Goodnight son.” Tony muttered, letting go of him after a while.

“Goodnight dad.” Teddy replied. Tony silently left the room, closing the door behind him.

Minutes passed and Teddy just let the room darken around him, stewing in his thoughts. Eventually, he leaned over and picked up his phone off the bedside table.

He quickly scrolled through his contact list and hovered over Billy's name. Steeling his nerve, he tapped his name and held the phone to his ear.

It rang twice before Billy picked up.

“Ted?”

“Hey, Billy, sorry it's a bit late.” Teddy said.

“It's okay.” Billy said, pausing for a second. “Is everything okay?” He asked, sounding concerned.

“My dads said that I'm grounded for two more months and...” Teddy said, trailing off.

“And?” Billy prompted.

“And I can't see you for two weeks.” Teddy admitted, sounding utterly miserable. There was a silence on the phone that lasted a couple minutes.

“At all?” Billy asked, sounding just as defeated as Teddy.

“They said I'm forbidden to see you for a fortnight and then grounded for another two and a half months after that.” Teddy said.

“Can they do that?” Billy asked.

“They're my dads.” Teddy said, defeated. Billy was quiet on the other end of the line.

“We'll work something out.” He said, a note of determination in his voice.

“Billy-”

“Teddy, we go to the same school, they can't stop us 'accidentally' bumping into each other.” Billy said. Teddy could _hear_ the air-quotes.

“I guess.” Teddy muttered, mostly to keep up appearances.

“I refuse to go two weeks without seeing you, Avengers or not.” Billy said strongly. Teddy smiled at the phone.

“It's late. Good night, Billy.” Teddy said quietly.

“Night Ted,” Billy replied, ending the call.


End file.
